Feldshers invoice ambulance at 27 million in Kazan

The Vakhitovsky court of Kazan is beginning considering a class action by employees of the emergency medical service station. As Realnoe Vremya found out, 65 feldshers of the city require the authorities to pay overtime payments since 2016 and compensation for moral damage — a total of 27,1 million rubles. The chief physician of the station does not recognize the claims of the subordinates.

Demanding a 36-hour week and money

Instead of 36 hours a week, they worked 40 and did not receive an increased payment. This is how the essence of the claims of the feldshers of the Kazan ambulance station to their employer looks in brief.

The lawsuit was registered on December 18, 2019. According to the court's database, 65 people were recognized as plaintiffs, and the defendant — the state autonomous healthcare institution Kazan Ambulance Station. The defendant is required to set the plaintiffs an official 36-hour working week, pay 25,824,000 rubles as an underpayment for overtime work and another 20,000 rubles each (a total of 1,300 million) for moral damage.

The claim is based on a reference to the decree of the government of the Russian Federation as of February 14, 2003 'On the working hours of medical workers depending on their position'. It follows from the document that for medical workers of stations and departments of emergency medical care, emergency medical care, etc., reduced working time is set — the same 36 hours per week. According to the Labour Code, this duration is provided for those whose working conditions are classified as harmful (3-4 degrees) or hazard. Also, the Labour Code of Russia stipulates that the first two hours overtime are paid at least one and a half times more expensive than fixed hours, and further at least double.

This is the approach used in the plaintiffs' calculations. Although their representative, lawyer Adel Khayrullin, does not exclude that the amounts may change if the working schedule is clarified. According to him, 15 more ambulance doctors can join the lawsuit, and there are about 700 of them at the station. “The attitude of the employer has changed to those who submitted an application — they put an inconvenient work schedule, disbanded long-established teams," the representative of the plaintiffs comments on the “persecution” in the ambulance.

According to the chief physician of the Kazan ambulance, he learned about the claims of medical workers only after receiving a notification from the court, the dissatisfied did not come to the negotiations. Photo: kazanfirst.ru

Chief medical officer: “Out of 65, we found only 4 who worked excess hours”

The republican committee of the Union of Healthcare Workers said that they are aware of the conflict in the ambulance, but they will not interfere in it, they will wait for the court's decision.

Farid Galyautdinov, the chief doctor of the Kazan station, assured Realnoe Vremya that there are no reprisals against applicants, there is a production need and a new head in one of the branches who is putting things in order, including on duty. “People don't like changes, but we don't have a family contract," the interlocutor says.

According to the chief physician of the Kazan ambulance, he learned about the claims of medical workers only after receiving a notification from the court, the dissatisfied did not come to the negotiations. But they went to a lawyer, who was brought by one of the activists-drivers.

“I've worked since March 2018. The issue has been dragging on since 2015, it is related to a special assessment of working conditions that was carried out in 2015. In this regard, people worked 38 hours, not 40, as they made up," says Farid Galyautdinov. “Since October 2019, we have switched to paying for 36 hours and all payments to people will be paid in full along with the January salary. This is stated in the collective agreement.”

However, only those who did not apply for part-time work will receive double payment for overtime work from October 2019, the chief doctor said in a conversation with Realnoe Vremya. He does not recognize the claims for the previous period, noting that they are made “on a template”, and in fact, do not correspond to reality”.

The Auditing Chamber of the Republic of Tatarstan, meanwhile, recorded a deficit in the fleet of ambulances and inefficient use of existing ones. Photo: Maksim Platonov

Ambulance problems are not solved quickly

This is not the first time that the salary conflict at the Kazan ambulance station has leaked in the public sphere. In January 2014, about 70 employees of the station went on a picket demanding the resignation of chief physician Aydar Fatykhov and an increase in salaries.

In 2017, already under chief physician Sergey Basanov, ambulance drivers complained about “charges” — the need to buy spare parts for office vehicles at their own expense to avoid downtime. Meanwhile, the Auditing Chamber of the Republic of Tatarstan recorded a deficit in the fleet of ambulances and inefficient use of existing ones.

In January 2018, two appeals were received from ambulance drivers to the Russian people's front at once — some repeated arguments about low salaries, idle cars due to breakdowns and removal of spare parts to Avito, while others accused colleagues of trying to discredit the management.

In March 2018, before the World Cup, the station changed its chief doctor again.

Kazan ambulance feldshers are preparing to defend their rights in court, their colleagues from Bashkiria were protected by the state medical Inspectorate. Last autumn, it revealed non-compliance with the established working hours and the lack of double pay for doctors when working even on their legal days off.

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